Announced candidacy for US Presidency in 2011, but withdrew 3 months later, endorsing Mitt Romney's campaign. McCotter is a relative unknown outside of Michigan.

McCotter resigned from Congress after it was found that of 1000 signatures required on his reelection petition, only 244 were legitimate, and the remaining 1,756 signatures were forgeries or photocopied signatures. The Michigan Elections Director cited an "unprecedented level of fraud." In August and September 2012, four of his staffers were charged with 36 counts of electoral fraud.